Head-to-head

This will be Chelsea’s 11th League Cup match against Liverpool. Only Tottenham Hotspur have faced us more often in the competition (13 times).

This is the first League Cup meeting between Liverpool and Chelsea in the fourth round. Previous ties came in the second round (once), third round (twice), quarter-finals (twice), semi-finals (once) and final (three times), making this the first fixture for any clubs played in every round from the second round to the final.

Chelsea are unbeaten in three games against Liverpool since a 2-1 Premier League defeat at Anfield in October 2024 (two wins, one draw). Last season, we won 2-1 at home and drew 1-1 away.

We are unbeaten in four (two wins, two draws) cup matches at Anfield - League Cup and UEFA Champions League - since a 1-0 Champions League semi-final defeat in 2007, when Xabi Alonso played for Liverpool.

The Blues will play at Anfield for the 96th time, more than at any other away ground in our history. Chelsea’s last away win against Liverpool was a 1-0 Premier League victory in March 2021. Since then, we have recorded three draws and the Reds have two wins.

Chelsea vs Liverpool in the League Cup

1977/78 | second round (a) L 2-0
2000/01 | third round (a) L 2-1 aet | Zola
2004/05 | final (n) W 3-2 aet | Gerrard og, Drogba, Kezman
2007/08 | quarter-finals (h) W 2-0 | Lampard, Shevchenko
2011/12 | quarter-finals (h) L 2-0
2014/15 | semi-final first leg (a) D 1-1 | Hazard pen
2014/15 | semi-final second leg (h) W 1-0 aet | Ivanovic
2018/19 | third round (a) W 2-1 | Emerson, Hazard
2021/22 | final (n) D 0-0 (10-11 pens)
2023/24 | final (n) L 1-0 aet

Head-to-head (all competitions)

Played: 200
Won: 67
Drawn: 50
Lost: 83

Last five meetings at Anfield

28 August 2021 | Premier League D 1-1 | Havertz
21 January 2023 | Premier League D 0-0
31 January 2024 | Premier League L 4-1 | Nkunku
20 October 2024 | Premier League L 2-1 | Jackson
9 May 2026 | Premier League D 1-1 | Fernandez

Biggest win for each team:

Chelsea 6-1 Liverpool | 1937/38 | Division One
Liverpool 6-0 Chelsea | 1934/35 | Division One
Chelsea’s biggest win at Anfield was 4-1 in the 1907/08 Division One and 2005/06 Premier League.

Chelsea stats

Chelsea are London’s most successful club in the League Cup with five wins, including the capital’s first (3-2 on aggregate vs Leicester City in 1965) and most recent (2-0 vs Tottenham Hotspur in 2015) final triumphs.

The Blues are seeking to reach the quarter-finals of the League Cup for the sixth time in the past 11 seasons. Our most recent was last season, when we went on to reach the semi-finals.

Chelsea’s most recent League Cup fourth-round exit came two seasons ago, when we lost 2-0 to Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

All of our last 16 eliminations from the competition have come against Premier League opposition.

Last five League Cup away games against Premier League teams

12 January 2022 | Semi-final second leg | Tottenham Hotspur W 1-0
9 November 2022 | Third round | Manchester City L 2-0
30 October 2024 | Fourth round | Newcastle United L 2-0
29 October 2025 | Fourth round | Wolverhampton Wanderers W 4-3
3 February 2026 | Semi-final second leg | Arsenal L 1-0

Chelsea’s record League Cup win is a 7-0 third-round victory at Doncaster Rovers on 16 November 1960, during our maiden campaign. The previous month, we beat Millwall 7-1 away in the first round.

2026/27 goals
Joao Pedro 5, Neto 4, Palmer 4 (1 pen), Rogers 4, Welbeck 3, Henderson 2, Barco 1, Lavia 1, own goal 1

2026/27 assists
Rogers 4, Joao Pedro 3, Palmer 3, Hato 2, Barco 1, Chavarria 1, Gusto 1, Henderson 1, Lacroix 1, Neto 1

Milestone

If selected, Malo Gusto will start a Blues game for the 100th time.

Liverpool stats

Last season

Premier League: Fifth
FA Cup: Lost 4-0 at Manchester City in the quarter-finals
League Cup: Lost 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace in the fourth round
Community Shield: Lost on penalties to Crystal Palace
Champions League: Lost 4-0 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals
Top scorer: Hugo Ekitike 17

Best seasons in the League Cup

Winners (10): 1980/81, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1994/95, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2011/12, 2021/22, 2023/24
Runners-up (5): 1977/78, 1986/87, 2004/05, 2015/16, 2024/25

Liverpool have won the League Cup on more occasions than any other club.

For the second successive round in the League Cup, Liverpool host Premier League opposition from London at Anfield, having beaten Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 in the third round.

Liverpool exited last season’s League Cup in the fourth round, losing 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace. They have not been eliminated before the quarter-finals in consecutive seasons since third-round exits in 2017/18 and 2018/19, the latter a home defeat to Chelsea. The Reds have reached the League Cup quarter-finals in four of the past nine seasons.

Liverpool have suffered one defeat in 12 matches across all competitions this season (eight wins, three draws), scoring 26 goals. Since that defeat against Manchester City earlier this month, the Reds have won four in a row. Andoni Iraola’s side have recorded four wins, two draws and one defeat in seven home matches in all competitions this season.

Liverpool have lost three of their 22 home matches in 2026, twice to Manchester City and once to Paris Saint-Germain, winning 12 and drawing seven.

Cody Gakpo has scored seven goals in his six League Cup appearances for Liverpool at Anfield, finding the net in each match.

2026/27 goals
Alexander Isak 6, Alexis Mac Allister 4, Bradley Barcola 3, Dominik Szoboszlai 3

Andoni Iraola's managerial record vs Chelsea

Won: 0
Drawn: 4
Lost: 2

Last five results

Manchester City (h) | Premier League | L 3-0
LASK (a) | Champions League | W 6-3
Brentford (a) | Premier League | W 2-1
Villarreal (h) | Champions League | W 4-3
Brighton & Hove Albion (h) | Premier League | W 2-0

Carabao Cup third round line-up

Liverpool 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Tuesday 15 September
Team (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Araujo, Gomez (c) (Jacquet h-t), Kerkez; Nyoni (Gravenberch 62), Mac Allister; Ngumoha (Barcola 72), McConnell (Szoboszlai 62), Gakpo; Koumas (Isak 86)
Scorers: Mac Allister 21, Gakpo 54, Szoboszlai 90+1
Booked: Araujo, Frimpong, Kerkez

Discipline

Cole Palmer is suspended (one match) following his sending off against Spurs on Saturday. Yellow cards only count in the competition they are received. In the Carabao Cup, two bookings will result in a one-match suspension. Reggie Watson is the only Chelsea player booked in the competition so far this season.

Match officials

Referee: Darren England
Assistants: Scott Ledger and Akil Howson
Fourth official: Craig Pawson
There is no VAR

Darren England’s last Blues game was the FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley in May.